Can someone please explain the Tweedy "Living Room Shows"?

[Bart]

I've been enjoying the hell out of the Jeff Tweedy show from 3-3-07 which is labeled as "Letters to Santa Benefit - Living Room Concert (#3)The Coleman Home, Winnetka, IL". Can someone please explain these shows?

 

Who are the Colemans? Friends of the band?

How did they get to host the show?

How big is the house/room he played in?

How did you get to attend?

What was the benefit for?

 

The song selection and the banter from Jeff makes this my favorite acoustic Tweedy show I have, not to mention it's 3 discs long.

 

Any explaination would be greatly appreciated.

[cryptique]

You can probably find a lengthy explanation through creative use of the search function, but to save you a bit of time:

 

I was at the 3/3/07 show. Here's how that happened...

 

Each year there's a benefit auction for an organization called Letters To Santa. It's held at/by Second City in Chicago. For the last several years, Jeff Tweedy has graciously volunteered to play private "living room" shows for groups of no more than thirty people who successfully bid in the auction. He has typically played three, maybe four of these shows each year, with all of the money going to the charity.

 

The bidding groups are assembled beforehand, and are often comprised of members of this message board (that's how I got into one). The money is collected in advance, because payment is due at the auction (it's good to send a representative who has the means to adjust your bid upwards if necessary). The winning groups negotiate the dates and locations where their shows will occur.

 

The Colemans are the family who volunteered to host the show (one family member participates on this board), at their spacious home in Winnetka. Jeff played in their basement in '07, and when the Colemans hosted another show in '08, I believe they switched to an upstairs living room. Some members of the '07 group brought a lot of shiny audio equipment to produce the recording to which you've been listening. (I think they did the same in '08.)

 

You can probably find photos from the show if you dig around ... to give you an idea of the size of the room.

 

I haven't been to any of these shows over the past couple of years, but I believe the auctions have been in the neighborhood of $20,000 per show (maybe a bit less?). Divide that by thirty people and you have an idea of how much scratch this can cost you.

 

edit: here's a link to the post-show thread.

[MattZ]

I still believe that Tweedy's version of Someone Else's Song from the Living Room Show on 4/5/08 is the definitive version. I bet he'd agree. Maybe not.

[isadorah]

I still believe that Tweedy's version of Someone Else's Song from the Living Room Show on 4/5/08 is the definitive version. I bet he'd agree. Maybe not.

 

 

hmmmmm, i think you might be a bit biased...but i'll give it to ya, it is a very very good version of that song.

 

living room shows rock. whatever cryptique said. and yeah, if you do a search, i'm pretty sure there will be several threads that pop up explaining and giving links to all the other threads. analogman, you there???

 

--

 

here's one of the more recent inquiry threads: thread

[Sunken mountain]

I still believe that Tweedy's version of Someone Else's Song from the Living Room Show on 4/5/08 is the definitive version. I bet he'd agree. Maybe not.

 

For sure,don´t worry,sweetie.There´s some amazing special guest,if I´m not wrong

[Preferred B]

My patented reposting of Maudie's "past living room shows" rundown, updated for 2009:

 

1/29/05: Hotel SnS, Chicago

 

1/14/06: Edie's, Chicago

1/28/06: Ken's, Barrington

4/8/06: Hotel SnS, Chicago

 

 

2/17/07: Hotel SnS, Chicago

2/24/07: Ken's, Barrington

3/3/07: Erin's, Winnetka

 

1/12/08: Ken's, Barrington

4/5/08: Erin's, Winnetka

4/12/08: Hotel SnS, Chicago

 

2/7/09: Morgan's, Winnetka

3/21/09: Ken's, Barrington

4/4/09: Hotel SnS, Chicago

5/16/09: M & B's, Evanston

 

 

And here's the sad story on the lost thread for that third 2006 show:

 

The archives cut off in December 2005, and the stuff saved here seems to start up again in April 2006. So the 1/14 show from that year is still there, because somebody posted in that thread again in April, but anything that existed just between 12/7/05 and 4/7/06 is gone.

 

Here's the link to the setlist on wilcobase, though.

[gogo]

Updated, yay!

 

 

Also, for tons of links to old "how do I get into one of these shows?" threads:

 

http://forums.viachicago.org/topic/38597-living-room-shows/

 

http://forums.viachicago.org/topic/38365-finding-living-room-shows/

 

 

I just searched for "auction" in the search box, there are tons of threads on these shows.

 

 

And just for kicks, if you haven't heard this one:

 

http://forums.viachicago.org/topic/24186-auction-taping/

[Bart]

Thanks for the background and the links. Very interesting reading.

[cooperissup3r]

I still believe that Tweedy's version of Someone Else's Song from the Living Room Show on 4/5/08 is the definitive version. I bet he'd agree. Maybe not.

 

i've always held 3-5-05 as "the" version of that song...i like how he goes right into Mountain Bed.

[tstrapac]

Hey guys I wanted to let you all know I am going through and editing all these shows to take out all the banter and stories to make it a smoother listen. The banter and stories are great but all totaled up its literally hours of extra play time. Anywho, I don't want to step on anyone's toes here so if I am out of line I will gladly remove this post. I will have FLAC and VBR MP3s tagged and sorted for all these shows that are currently available at O&B.

 

I am not touching the music at all in any way, just cutting out all pre and post song banter. I love having a version of these shows where they go right from song to song and a version with all the great stories and banter.

 

Let me know if you are interested in me uploading these somewhere or if someone else has already done the same thing and I am spending all this time for nothing.

 

thanks guys!

 

-Todd

[Dude]

Hey guys I wanted to let you all know I am going through and editing all these shows to take out all the banter and stories to make it a smoother listen.

 

I thought these recordings were intended to be private keepsakes for the people who donated quite a bit of money, time and efforts organizing and in some cases traveling great distances to attend the shows. I didn't think the shows were ever meant for public domain / general distribution - not to be snarky or anything, but that kind of defeats the whole purpose of it being a 'Private Living Room Show'. I realize that you can't stop people from eventually sharing and leaking these shows, but editing them down and putting them into a widely available torrent completely goes against the spirit of the shows.

 

Just my opinion -- I've attended three of these shows myself.

[tstrapac]

I thought these recordings were intended to be private keepsakes for the people who donated quite a bit of money, time and efforts organizing and in some cases traveling great distances to attend the shows. I didn't think the shows were ever meant for public domain / general distribution - not to be snarky or anything, but that kind of defeats the whole purpose of it being a 'Private Living Room Show'. I realize that you can't stop people from eventually sharing and leaking these shows, but editing them down and putting them into a widely available torrent completely goes against the spirit of the shows.

 

Just my opinion -- I've attended three of these shows myself.

 

Again, if this is no good I will not share what I am doing for my private enjoyment. I just thought someone else might enjoy what I am doing.

 

Also, I was under the impression these were openly traded/downloaded by many, if not most, hardcore Wilco fans. Is this not the case?

[Analogman]

1. I don't think it is a good idea to spread around edited versions of any shows, let alone the living room shows. It will get confusing to those who end up with them. And, it muddies the trading pool.

2. I believe part of what people like about these shows is the banter.

3. It is my experience that most tapers ask that the shows they tape not be spread around in a lossy format.

4. It is my understanding that the powers that be signed off on the shows being shared with the public a couple of years ago.

5. Once something is online in one place, it is going to end up everywhere.

6. What anyone does with shows for their own private enjoyment is their business.

[tstrapac]

I am not down on the banter or jokes at all. I love these and make me like the band and songs even more. I just don't want to listen to these stories and long periods of silence every time I want to hear these shows. I am not down on anyone for editing these shows this way at all. I love them and am grateful to have them.

 

Also, I was not trying to imply that these should ever replace or would be better in any way to the "normal" recordings. I will keep these to have a different way of listening to these shows.

 

My thought here was that I am not the only one who wants these slightly edited and does not want or cannot play FLAC on a portable device. If this breaks the show tapers ethical code, then I guess I won't share the work I am doing here.

 

All I was looking to do was help out and save time for anyone who has or had the same idea I had. My bad.

[Wendy]

Maybe if people want them, they'll send you a private message.

 

You are not bad! Your heart is in the right place or you would not have bothered to offer up your concerns about being appropriate to share the edited versions. I have a lot of difficulty listening to the recordings in my car due to the banter and volume highs and lows and find myself constantly reaching for the volume button, and that's not particularly safe IMO.

 

Analogman, great post.

[tstrapac]

Maybe if people want them, they'll send you a private message.

 

You are not bad! Your heart is in the right place or you would not have bothered to offer up your concerns about being appropriate to share the edited versions. I have a lot of difficulty listening to the recordings in my car due to the banter and volume highs and lows and find myself constantly reaching for the volume button, and that's not particularly safe IMO.

 

Analogman, great post.

 

This is exactly why I am doing it. These shows are so cool and Jeff is cool as all hell to do them and let them distributed. These shows have made me a much bigger fan of the band.

[Edie]

I agree with Aman's post also. Warner (the taper) made a non-lossy CD of the 3-3-07 show that had all the banter removed. It was great to listen to the songs that way, but really prefer the "whole" thing. It makes a turbulent flight to the west coast bearable

 

Oh, and I apologize in advance for my over-zealous banter

[Dude]

1. I don't think it is a good idea to spread around edited versions of any shows, let alone the living room shows. It will get confusing to those who end up with them. And, it muddies the trading pool.

2. I believe part of what people like about these shows is the banter.

3. It is my experience that most tapers ask that the shows they tape not be spread around in a lossy format.

4. It is my understanding that the powers that be signed off on the shows being shared with the public a couple of years ago.

5. Once something is online in one place, it is going to end up everywhere.

6. What anyone does with shows for their own private enjoyment is their business.

 

#4 I didn't know about. I do remember a great deal of effort in the past put into keeping the shows distributed to just the people who attended them. I guess that was then, this is now......

[Guest Speed Racer]

On Topic: Ditto A-Man. Don't actively circulate or promote the edited shows; if people want your product, they now know to contact you.

 

Off Topic: I have to say, having never attended one of these shows, I cannot understand the attraction of listening to a recording of them. I've tried, and it's like listening to an audio recording of an acquaintance's birthday party that I could not attend.

 

The Living Room Shows are intimate - much more so than other Wilco/solo shows - and that's the whole point. The banter relies on many more visual elements (gestures and expressions) because that's the reality of 40 people vs. 1,500. The singalong aspect, which I'm sure has a very campfire-y quality in person, sounds very much like a recording of four friends howling to a Wilco song playing in the car. (No offense to the vocal stylings of Wilco fans.)

 

Please understand that I am totally not knocking the Living Room Shows, and ABSOLUTELY not complaining about the quality of the audio recordings. If I had attended a show, I'm sure I'd listen to the recording all the time. For people who didn't attend the shows but enjoy the recordings, great! But it really does feel like eavesdropping on someone else's 3-hour inside joke to me.

[Analogman]

#4 I didn't know about. I do remember a great deal of effort in the past put into keeping the shows distributed to just the people who attended them. I guess that was then, this is now......

 

I don't recall when they started to appear on various BT sites, but is must have been after the approval was given for the shows to be shared.

 

We have the following at The Wilco Archive:

 

January 14, 2006 (Letters to Santa Show)

April 8, 2006 (Letters to Santa Show)

February 24, 2007 (Letters to Santa Show)

March 3, 2007 (Letters to Santa Show)

January 12, 2008 (Letters to Santa Show)

April 5, 2008 (Letters to Santa Show)

 

The most recent LRS to appear is 2009-02-07. It was posted at bt.etree.org on 5-22-2009.

[Guest Speed Racer]

I don't recall when they started to appear on various BT sites, but is must have been after the approval was given for the shows to be shared.

 

I got one of the 2006 shows that summer, I think, sealed in a brown paper bag with a wink and a dirty handshake. Whenever it was, about a week after I got the show the Wilco powers gave mass-distribution the thumbs-up.

[srmt]

Hi people,

 

Actually, this:

 

 

4. It is my understanding that the powers that be signed off on the shows being shared with the public a couple of years ago.

 

 

is NOT true. Jeff never gave permission for the Living Room Shows to be distributed outside of the people at the Living Room Show.

 

Sorry guys.....from the horse's mouth.

 

xo

srmt

[MattZ]

Not that this would make it any better if Jeff never gave permission, but I do know that the most recent show that I attended was edited before it was sent to the folks that attended the show. And any banter that was even questionable never made it onto the recording. Like I said, not that this would make it any better.

[Analogman]

Hi people,

 

Actually, this:

 

 

4. It is my understanding that the powers that be signed off on the shows being shared with the public a couple of years ago.

 

 

is NOT true. Jeff never gave permission for the Living Room Shows to be distributed outside of the people at the Living Room Show.

 

Sorry guys.....from the horse's mouth.

 

xo

srmt

 

Thank you for posting.

 

I suppose there must be a post about how and why they came to be distributed. I have a feeling that like most things, they ended up online at some point, and then they spread from there. Following that, I suppose whoever posted all the shows since the first one that made it online have assumed it was alright to do so.

 

What do we need to do to straighten this out?

[gogo]

The internet being what it is, probably all you can do is take them off the Owl site. Other than that, VCers should not distribute them, but I'm not really sure what else can be done, at this point.

 

Just make your own good faith effort.